Sometimes you only need to read 10% of a book to get 90% of the value it has to offer. The Artist’s Way is like that. The book is great (I still haven’t read it all), but there’s one idea in there—and it’s a super simple idea—that changed my life: morning pages.
Writing morning pages just means sitting down every morning and writing 750 words stream-of-consciousness. You don’t need to have a big idea (or even a small idea). You don’t need to write a diary (but you could). You just start writing and stop at 750 words.
Some mornings, my brain is so empty that I simply start writing “I have no idea what to write…” and hope that the words eventually come. Every time, they do—and all of a sudden 750 words feels like too few. I could go on for hundreds more. Thousands even.
It seems unlikely that 750 random words repeated daily could change someone’s life, but it’s changed mine. Often it works in the most fun way, too: you simply get sick of writing the same damn thing every day, so you do something about it instead of writing about it again.
I’ve had profound realizations. I’ve unearthed feelings that were buried deep. I’ve discovered ideas for creative projects that I might otherwise never have. I’ve talked shit about people (mostly just me). I’ve talked to myself about anything and everything.
I don’t show anyone my morning pages. I rarely look at any of them again. I’m sure that if I did I’d barely remember writing them. Giving myself 20 minutes every morning to write (and more importantly, to think) is just the best act of self-care I’ve ever known.